THE PIZZA CUTTER : SAILENDRA GHIMIRE

Word about Pizza Cutter has been spreading fast. Its unique pay per slice strategy, simplistic approach and attention to service detail has garnered people’s attention; that and the fact that you get a massive slice of pizza for Rs.100.

Pizza cutter is a progressive pizza joint that has been established in six different locations within the last year. It specializes in 24” thin crust New York style pizza topped with fresh ingredients and a special self made sauce, sold per slice in triangular shaped boxes

Although Kathmandu is predominantly a momo loving city, many people have a significant penchant for the Italian delicacy. However, it wasn’t a meal someone would get on the fly. You’d really have to commit to getting a pizza, gather at least one other person and be ready to shell out more than a hundred rupees.

A true started from the bottom story Pizza Cutter is buzzing waves you can’t ignore.

Shailendra Ghimire one of the co-founders of The Pizza Cutter and his team have changed the game for pizzas in Nepal with their venture. They’ve even gone as far as to localize the setting of their pizza place and it is evident in their outlets. We had a chat with him in order to know more about his concept and here is what he had to say.

WHY PIZZAS?

Pizza is something we knew and grew up with. My team and I knew a lot about it’s taste and texture and we love it so we were like why not?

WHAT MADE YOU START THIS VENTURE?

Basically we wanted to create a food revolution that fits everyone’s wallet. After coming back to Kathmandu after almost a decade abroad we were taken aback by the food pricing here. We felt cheated when we had to pay a hefty price for basically nothing. Since we knew pizza well we decided that our food revolution would start with pizzas where almost everyone can enjoy a slice of pizza without worrying about their wallets. You wouldn’t have to spend more than 1000 rupees in a fine dine restaurant just to enjoy a slice of pizza and we wanted to make it something economic and affordable.

WHY THE NAME ‘PIZZA CUTTER’?

Generally pizza comes in 8 slices, while our innovative team mastered the art of cutting pizza into 9 equal slices. Since we came up with a unique and interesting product to enjoy in Nepal, which might have made us the only pizza venture serving pizza with 9 slices we thought that the name ‘Pizza Cutter’ would be the best fit.

CURRENTLY THERE ARE JUST TWO TOPPINGS AVAILABLE. DO YOU PLAN TO EXPAND THE CHOICES? IF SO WHEN?

Yes, we plan to implement a wide variety of exotic toppings in very soon and we are experimenting with the choices. Right now people have the choice of chicken and onion for non-vegetarian topic and we have mushroom and onions. Our signature pizzas are thin crust so we will be sticking with it but then we will expand our topping options based on customer preferences. As for the cheese we use a combination of different kinds, we use a mix of imported as well as locally made cheese. We have a small farm in Chapali we try to inculcate the fresh ingredients on our toppings from there and since we have some cows there we also sell Lassi in our outlets.

BASICALLY WE WANTED TO CREATE A FOOD REVOLUTION THAT FITS EVERYONE’S WALLET

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE TO FACE IN THIS BUSINESS?

Well there are always external and internal factors. Our first Pizza place that we opened in Dhobidhara marg was a filthy dishwashing place before. Transforming it into a hygienic, clean and organized Pizza outlet was a challenge but we had a vision in our head and we knew what we could do. We can handle the internal factors and they are not such big deals but the external factors are nerve wrecking. The political instability, the aftermath of the earthquake and blockade, inadequate basic supplies and the list goes on and on. Regardless we work our way around all this and we have been able to overcome the challenges till now.

YOU HAVE OPENED A FEW OUTLETS; DO YOU PLAN TO EXPAND MORE?

Yes definitely! We currently have six outlets and we are opening one more soon in Thamel .If everything goes fine we are predicting a dozen more this year.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE PIZZA CUTTER?

We would want people to know that it is fresh, authentic and artisan. We are proud of serving our all natural pizzas with No MSG, food colors, and preservatives. Pizza cutter is not a junk food venture it bakes fresh and serves fresh. We keep in mind the cleanliness and hygiene as well so you could trust us with that.

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